Method of weaving and loom



E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974

METHOD oF WEAVING AND LooM Oct. 30, 1962 ,l f

Filed oet. 18, 1960 1e sheets-sheet 1 INVENTO 7a/jene fil. 0/ mw NEYS Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974

METHOD oF WEAVING AND LooM Filed Oct. 18, 1960 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EYS OC- 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974y

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ATTORN EYG' E. M. HOFFMAN METHOD OF WEAVING AND LOOM Oct. 30, 1962 16 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Oct. 18, 1960 ywwww' wwwww ATTORNEYS Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974

METHOD OF WEAVING AND LOOM Filed Oct. 18, 1960 16 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR uyefze A4. Kaff/naw a sagemrl ATTORNEYS Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974

METHOD oF wEAvING AND Loon/1 Filed Oct. 18, 1960 16 Sheets-Sheet 9 Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. l-loFFMAN 3,060,974

- METHOD oF WEAVING AND LooM Filed oct. 18, 1960 1e sheets-sheet 1o zzz-2g. i?. /2/

Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974

METHOD oF wEAvING AND LooM Filed Oct. 18, 1960 16 Sheets-Sheet 11 w\\ \w\\ w\\ L m L F i Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN METHOD oF WEAVING AND Loom 16 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Oct. 18. 1960 INVENTOR Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN METHOD oF wEAvING AND LooM 16 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed Oct. 18, 1960 ,w *B15 5%- fg. f5. f'. 5%

INVENTOR Fuif/w Af. Magma C- 30, 1952 E. M. HOFFMAN 3,060,974

METHOD oF WEAVING AND LooM Filed Oct. 18, 1960 16 Sheets-Sheet 14 ATTORNEYS E. M. HOFFMAN METHOD 0F WEAVING AND LOOM Oct. 30, 1962 16 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Oct. 18. 1960 INVENTOR i4/afan@ M #af/9M Oct. 30, 1962 E. M. HOFFMAN METHOD OF wEAvING AND LOOM 16 Sheets-Sheet 16 Filed OCT.. 18. 1960 lite tate The present invention relates to methods of weaving, looms and fabrics. The invention applies to pile fabric woven over transverse pile wires, such as carpets and rugs.

The principles of the invention in their broadest application are capable of being applied to transverse wire looms.

A purpose of the invention is to float in the face or pile of a fabric pile yarn over two or more pile wires, and then to cut the pile yarn from above at a point intermediate between such wires or intermediate between the legs of the float loops thus produced.

A further purpose is to weave a pile fabric over transverse pile wires, forming high floats over two or more pile wires and weaving the wires into the fabric, and then to cut from above such floats after the pile wires have been woven into the fabric and before the pile wires have been removed from the fabric and preferably at the middle of such floats.

A further purpose is to form high floats over two or more pile wires and above one, two, three or more pile binding yarn ends, and to cut such `floats from above at a position intermediate between the pile wires.

A further purpose is to locate the point of cutting from above at a position near the middle of a transverse wire set, between the rst and the last wire.

A further purpose is to extend the cutter down between two pile Wires during the operation of cutting floats from above. One of the great advantages of the invention is that the wires can be used to guide the cutter, and this is best achieved `when the cutter is inserted between transverse pile wires on either side beyond the fabric. The pile wires have a certain amount of lateral flexibility, and once the cutter is inserted between the pile wires the cutter is guided to remain between that pair of wires as it moves across a transverse wire loom, The insertion of the cutter between the pile wires is facilitated by reducing the thickness of the wires at the top thereof at the point beyond the fabric -where the cutter is inserted, so as to provide more space between the wires at the top, and to prevent the cutter from interfering and hanging up on top of a pile wire.

A further purpose is to form cut pile which is higher than normal pile by cutting from above floats over two or more pile wires at intermediate positions on such floats, the normal pile being cut or uncut as desired.

A further purpose is to avoid cutting normal pile loops while cutting the float loops from above.

A further purpose is to form face yarn pile floats over one pile wire and over one or two or more pile binding yarn ends and to avoid cutting from above such floats over one pile wire while at the same time cutting from above floats which extend over two or more pile wires,

A further purpose is to apply certain aspects of the invention to velvet weaving and to apply certain aspects of the invention to Wilton weaving.

The invention is also applicable to weaving which is neither velvet nor Wilton per se, such as single shot or three shot fabrics, fabrics woven through to the back, and to fabrics made with a binding weft shot, a binder warp,an`d a warpwise face pile held under the weftwise shots but without a back shot, the backing being later put Patented Oct. 30, 1962 on by latex or by bonding a prewoven fabric, sometimes called lamination.

A further purpose is to form staggered or basket weave high floats of two or more pile yarn sets or frames in succession across the fabric, with or without normal single wire pile, said staggered floats extending over two or more pile wires, and said pile wires being straight or wavy as desired, and cutting from above at least some of said staggered floats.

A further purpose is to tie in the pile wires when weaving staggered multiple wire floats to be cut from above, by normal single wire pile loops at intervals.

A further purpose is to weave staggered multiple pile wire floats over pile wires and to selectively cut such floats from above at positions between the wires.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over pile wires which are at different heights on opposite ends of the float and to cut said floats at positions intermediate between the pile wires from above.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over wavy pile wires and to lcut such floats from above at positions intermediate between the pile wires. It will be evident that the opposite ends of each float may be over wavy wire portions which are both of similar heights or both of different heights on the respective wires as desired.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over the low portions of wavy pile wires and to cut said floats from above at positions intermediate between the pile wires.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over low portions of wavy pile wires and to weave normal pile loops over high portions of vsingle wavy pile wires, to cut the multiple wire floats over the low portions from above at positions intermediate between the pile wires and subsequently to withdraw the pile wires without producing robbing of previous loops since the remaining loops over the wire being withdrawn are only over the high portions of the pile wires.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over low portions of wavy pile wires having cutters at the end remote from the head beyond the shed, to weave normal pile loops over high portions of single wavy pile wires, to cut the multiple wire floats from above at positions between the pile wires, and then to withdraw the pile wires and cut the normal pile loops without robbing previous loops since the loops formed over the pile wire being withdrawn are formed only over the high portions of the wavy pile wire.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over transverse pile wires having noncutting spoons or flags at the ends opposite to the head beyond the shed, to cut the floats from above at positions between the pile wires, and then to Withdraw the pile wires successive. ly, raising normal loops formed over single wires to the height of the spoon or flag and causing robbing of previously formed cut from above pile at the edge of a cutfrom-above float area to produce a gradation in pile height. v

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over transverse cutting pile wires which may be either straight or wavy pile wires, to cut the floats from above intermediate between the legs of the float loops, and subsequently to Withdraw the pile wires.

A further purpose is to weave multiple pile wire floats over pile wires and to selectively cut such floats from above between the pile wires, the cutting being selective at intervals along the length of the pile wires, or being selective as to depth, or being employed only in certain rows, or any combination thereof, and subsequently to remo-ve the pile Wires from the fabric.

A further purpose is to form low pile yarn floats over pile :binding wefts close to the back of the fabric, and to out, score or rough up said low oats at a position intermediate between pile wire positions after the weaving and before removal of the pile wires to improve the coverage in the wells (that is, areas where low under-the-wire floats are present and visible a-t the face of the fabric).

A further purpose -is to operate a pile yarn float cutter which moves down into a position between two transverse pile wires, woven into the fabric, which cuts on one cutter stroke and which raises or retracts on the return stroke with respect to the fabric.

A further purpose is to retrace a pile yarn float cut-ter moving between transverse pile wires woven into a fabric, on thecutting stroke -beyond the weave before the cutter encounters spoons or cutters on the ends of the pile wires.

A further purpose is to provide a pile yarn oat cutter with a guiding shoe which rides between the wires on or above the back of the fabric and prevents the cutter from penetrating beyond a predetermined depth.

A further purpose is to employ a downwardly inclined cutter 1knife moving in the space between two pile wires woven into a fabric and to vary or set the angle of the knife with respect to the distribution of the pile yarn `float loops to be cut.

A further purpose is to employ a rotary pile yarn float cutter which .travels between pile wires woven into a pile fabric and which cuts said iioats from above which `are over two or more pile wires or over one or more pile binding yarn ends.

A further purpose is to utilize a trailing shoe on a knife, both of which 4are travelling parallel with and between pile wires, and actuated from above, especially wavy Wires, woven into a fabric, said shoe hav-ing a length greater than the maximum length of low portions of said wavy pile wires, to prevent Ithe shoe and cutter @from jumping 'across from one pile yarn float row to the next.

A further purpose is -to cut multiple wire high oats from above at positions intermediate between the legs of the loops of such floats, while avoiding cutting of any other pile formation -below the said high floats.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen -to illustrate a few only ofthe numerous embodiments in which the invention may appear, selecting the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory oper-ation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

'I'he weave diagrams show the weave formation in the dent which is in the plane of the paper, and in addition `in numerous cases show the formation of .the fabric in a dent or dents behind :the plane of 4the paper. 'I'hus -it will :be evident that the illustration is essentially the same in the case of a two-frame pile fabric from the standpoint of a longitudinal section, whether a full threadin is used with an end of each frame in each dent, or whether the ends of the different frames are threaded in at least alternate dents, or whether crowding is used, with in some cases ends of each frame or a partial lframe present in a particular dent, and in other cases ends of one frame only present in one dent and ends of another f-rame only present in the next dent as desired.

FIGURE 1 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram of la pile fabric according to -t-he invention woven over straight noncutting pile wires and exhibiting two Wire high floats, normal `high pile and Wells.

FIGURE 2 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing the fabric of FIGURE 1 after cutting of the high lfloats from above according lto the invention and withdrawal of the wires.

FIGURE 3 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram of a two-frame pile fabric having staggered twowire floats woven over straight noncutting pile wires.

FIGURE 4 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave 4 diagram showing the fabric of FIGURE 3 after cutting of the iloats in accordance with the invention and after `subsequent withdrawal of the wires.

FIGURE 5 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing la fabric having staggered low oats, which may .represent the well areas in a pile fabric.

FIGURE 6 is :a view corresponding -to FIGURE 5 which shows the eiect of cutting the low floats at positions corresponding to the positions between the pile wires, and after withdrawal of the pile wires.

FIGURE 7 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram of a two-frame pile fabric having normal pile and two-wire high oats Woven over noncutting wavy pile wires.

FIGURE 8 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 7 showing the -fabric of FIGURE 7 after cutting of the floats from above and subsequent withdrawal of the wavy pile Wires.

FIGURE 9 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a two-frame pile fabric having two-wire high viloats from both frames woven over low por-tions of wavy pile wires and normal pile woven over high portions of the wavy pile wires, .the wavy pile wires having cutters at the ends remote from the heads beyond the shed.

FIGURE l0 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 9 showing the fabric of FIGURE 9 after cut-ting of the oats from above at positions between the pile wires and subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires.

FIGURE l1 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a fabric similar to lthat of FIGURE 3, woven over straight noncut-ting pile wires, which however are of different heights.

FIGURE l2 is a view similar Ito FIGURE l1 showing the fabric of FIGURE 1l after cutting of the iioats from above and subsequent withdrawal of the pile Wires.

FIGURE 13 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram of a two-frame pile fabric showing two-wire high floats and also normal pile loops woven over straight noncutting pile wires which are of different height. Floats are 4formed over high pile wires and over low pile wires and over high and low pile wires. v

FIGURE 14 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 13 showing the fabric of FIGURE 13 after cutting of the oats from above between the pile wires and subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires.

FIGURE l5 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a two-frame pile fabric according to the invention with each frame having two-wire high float-s and also normal pile loops and also low floats, the pile being woven over straight cutting pile wires.

FIGURE 16 is a View corresponding to FIGURE 15, illustrating the lfabric of FIGURE l5 after cutting of the doats from above between Ithe pile wires, but before withdrawal of the pile Wires.

FIGURE 17 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 16 showing the fabric of FIGURES l5 and 16 after withdrawal of the pile wires which have cut the normal pile loops.

FIGURE 18 is an expanded Warpwise sectional weave diagram of a two-frame pile fabric according to the invention in which one frame has two-wire high floats and low lioats and the other frame has normal pile loops and low floats, the pile being woven over straight noncutting pile wires.

FIGURE 19 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 18 showing the fabric of FIGURE 18 after selective cutting from above of certain of the floats, leaving other floats uncut, and after subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires. It will be evident that FIGURE 19 shows the structure of a fabric in dents behind the plane of the paper.

lFIGURE 20 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram of a two-frame pile fabric, having staggered twowire high floats woven over straight noncutting pile wires.

FIGURE 21 is a View corresponding to FIGURE 20 showing the fabric of FIGURE 2O after cutting from above the high floats in selective rows and leaving the high -lloats in other rows uncut, and after subsequent withdrawal of the pile Wires. It will be evident that FIGURE 21 shows fabric structure in dents behind the dent which is in the plane of the paper.

-FIGURE 22 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a single frame pile fabric having normal pile loops and also two-wire high floats woven over both high and low portions of wavy noncutting pile wires.

FIGURE 23 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 22 showing the fabric of yFIGURE 22 after cutting from above the high iloats which are over the high portions of the wavy pile wires, and subsequently withdrawing the wavy pile wires.

FIGURE 24 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a two-frame pile fabric woven over noncutting wavy pile wires, the pile yarn forming two-wire high lloats over both high and low portions of such wavy pile wires. FIGURE 24 shows structure of the fabric behind the dent which is in the plane of the paper.

FIGURE 25 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 24, showing the fabric of FIGURE 24 after selective cutting of the high floats and subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires. It will be evident that a portion of the fabric is shown which is behind the dent which is in the plane of the paper.

FIGURE 26 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a two-frame pile fabric woven over straight noncutting pile wires. One frame forms two-wire high pile iloats and also low floats and the other frame forms normal pile loops and low floats. FIGURE 26 is similar to FIGURE l and is useful in showing the operation being performed in cutting from above in FIG- URE 27 in a somewhat different manner from that in which FIGURE l was cut.

-FIGURE 27 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 26, showing the fabric of FIGURE 26 after selective cutting from above to cut the high floats in certain rows, and after subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires.

`FIGURE 28 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram of a two-frame pile fabric, illustrating formation of staggered four-wire high iloats over straight noncutting pile wires also having normal pile loops.

FIGURE 29 is a View corresponding to FIGURE 28, showing the fabric of FIGURE 28 after cutting of the high floats from above and subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires.

FIGURE 30 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a two-frame pile fabric formed over straight noncutting pile wires. One frame forms normal pile loops, two-wire high floats over a Single pile binding yarn end, two-wire, high floats over two pile binding yarn ends, and two-wire high floats over three binding yarn ends, and the other frame forms normal pile loops.

FIGURE 3l is a View corresponding to FIGURE 30, showing the fabric of FIGURE 30 after cutting of the high iloats from above and subsequent withdrawal of the pile wires.

FIGURE 32 is a view similar to FIGURE 30, but showing the fabric formed over different height noncutting wavy pile wires. FIGURES 32 and 33 show the structure of the fabric in dents behind the dent which is in the plane of the paper.

FIGURE 33 is a view similar to FIGURE 32, but illustrating the high floats cut from above and the noncutting wavy wires subsequently withdrawn.

FIGURE 34 is an expanded warpwise sectional weave diagram showing a two-frame pile fabric woven over straight noncutting pile wires. Each frame forms twowire high floats, and also forms floats over one pile wire and one pile binding yarn end and over one pile wire and two pile binding yarn ends.

FIGURE 35 is a view similar to FIGURE 34, after cutting of the two-wire high lloats from above without 6 cutting the one-wire floats, and subsequent removal of the pile wires.

FIGURE 36 is an expanded warpwise sectiona1 weave diagram, showing the pile wires beyond the section in perspective, illustrating normal pile and also two-wire high floats woven over flag or spoon wires.

FIGURE 37 is a View corresponding to FIGURE 36, showing the effect on the fabric of FIGURE 36 of cutting 'the high floats from above and subsequently removing the flag or spoon wires.

FIGURE 38 is a fragmentary diagrammatic Side elevation of a flag or spoon wire as illustrated in FIGURE 36.

lFIGURE 39 gives a fragmentary diagrammatic top plan view of a transverse wire pile fabric loom to which the invention is applied, with the wire hopper in position for withdrawing a wire.

yFIGURE 4G is a view corresponding to FIGURE 39 with the wire hopper shown in position to insert a transverse pile wire into the shed.

FIGURE 4l is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the portions of FIGURES 39 and 40 showing the wire set, and illustrating the cutter of the invention applied to the loom.

FIGURE 42 is an elevation of the cutter mechanism of the invention from the weavers side of the loom.

yFIGURE 43 is a diagrammatic transverse'section of FIGURE 42 on the line 43--4-3.

FIGURE 44 is an enlargement of FIGURE 43 showing the cutter of the invention.

FIGURE 45 is an elevation of the cutter of the invention viewed from the side of the loom adjoining the heddles or the lay.

FIGURE 45a is a view similar to FIGURE 45 showing a modification in which the cutter is selectively moved to different depths of cut between the wires.

FIGURE 46 is a fragmentary view similar to `FIGURE 45 but showing a variation in which the position of the cutter is manipulated by a solenoid.

FIGURE -47 is a fragmentary top plan view of a variation in the means lfor lowering the cutter of FIGURE 45 at the side of the loom adjoining the wire motion.

FIGURE 48 is a side elevation of a variant form of cutter according to the invention.

FIGURE 49 is a fragmentary side elevation of a further variant form of cutter according to the invention, in retracted position.

FIGURE 50 is a fragmentary side elevation of a further variant `form of cutter according to the invention.

FIGURES 51 and 52 are photographic face views of fabrics according to the invention.

FIGURE 53 is a fragmentary side elevation of a preferred transverse pile wire for use in the present invention, showing the reduction of the thickness of the wire at the top on the portion of the wire which is beyond the fabric, in this case at the head end.

FIGURE 54 is a Section of the wire of FIGURE 53 on the line 54-54.

FIGURE 55 is a section of the wire of FIGURE 53 at the point where the fabric is woven, taken on the line 55-55 of FIGURE 53.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In the usual practice of weaving with transverse pile wires, cutting of loops on the loom is usually accomplished by cutters which are positioned at the ends of the wires remote from the head beyond the shed. So-ca'lled umbrella wires having grooves at the top have also been employed, and in this case a cutter running in such groove has been moved longitudinally of the wire along the top of the wire. The cutter moving along the umbrella wire was in some cases hand operated and in other cases mechanically actuated.

In either case the effect was to produce a cut tuft which was relatively similar in height to the height of the normal pile loop.

In some cases, random and pattern selective shearing have been applied to the face of a fabric with the view to forming cut pile of variant height or cut and uncut pile. In this case it has been diicult to obtain a precisely regulated height of pile at any given point.

In the case of pile fabrics woven over longitudinal wires Whether the pile is formed from warp yarns or weft yarns, the practice has been to provide cutters on or above the wires which cut the pile formed over individual wires.

In accordance with the present invention, high floats are formed over two or more pile wires in a transverse pile wire fabric which in some cases will be produced on the velvet loom and in some cases on the Wilton. loom or on modified versions of either, and the high floats are cut after the completion of the weaving in of the pile wires and while the pile wires are still woven into the fabric, by a cutter operated from above along a line intermediate between two pile wires or intermediate between the anchorages of the legs of the iioats. The point of cutting will in most cases preferably be at the middle of the lioat. The float in many cases will be a two-wire high oat, but other lengths of high floats may be used, for example, three, four or more wire high oats. The oats may vary in the number of pile binding yarn ends over which the floats span, and for example in two-wire high floats the floats may span one, two or three such binding ends. Similar variations will exist in the case of high floats over more than two wires.

The cutter which accomplishes the cutting from above will suitably extend down between two pile wires, but will not extend far enough down to cut the back of the fabric and thus damage the backing yarns.

In order that the wires may adequately support the pile which is being cut from above, the cutting is desirably accomplished at a position intermediate between the first and the last wire of the pile wire set. The pile wires are resilient in the fabric and the cutter shoe will suitably slightly force the pile wires apart as it moves in the space between the adjoining pile wires.

The effect will be to produce cut floats which are slightly higher than normal pile, other conditions being equal. Thus, the fabric can have loops formed over individual pile wires and bound on either side beneath adjoining pile binding yarn ends, and these normal pile loops will not be cut by the cutting from above, but when the wires are removed can either remain uncut, where the pile wires are noncutting wires, or can be cut when the pile wires are removed, by cutters on the ends of the pile wires remote from the head and beyond the shed.

Not only will the cutting from above avoid cutting normal pile loops, but it will also avoid cutting floats over a single pile wire, which are oating over one or two pile binding yarn ends, and thus uncut pile of an intermediate height between the high multiple wire float tufts and normal pile can be obtained if desired.

If wavy pile wires are used, normal pile can be formed over the wavy pile wires and when the wavy pile wires are withdrawn, robbing of previous loops will take place where loops are carried over low portions of the wavy pile wires.

If desired, however, normal loops can be formed only over high portions of the wavy pile wires, and then the wavy pile wires can be withdrawn without robbing previous loops, leaving uncut loops of uniform height, or if the wavy pi'le wires are cutting, forming cut tufts of uniform height. It will be evident that in producing a fabric of the type under discussion, proper coordination of the wavy wire pattern and the jacquard pattern is important.

Thus, the pile wires themselves can be cutting wires, and if cutting wires, can be either straight or wavy wires.

The pile wires themselves also can be spoon or ilag wires, having noncutting high portions at the ends remote from the head beyond the shed. If multiple wire high floats are formed by the same pile frame, or pile warp set,

elo

when the spoon or iiag wire is withdrawn from a loop over a single wire after cutting of the floats from above, robbing of the previous pile projection will take place, tending to form a gradation in the pile heights.

The high floats themselves may be over straight pile wires and the straight pile wires may be of uniform height or of different heights, in which case the high floats may be over a high pile wire at one end of the float and a low Wire at the other end of said oat. If wavy pile wires are used, the floats may be over high portions of the wavy pile wires or low portions of the wavy pile wires or over both high and low portions of the wavy pile wires.

In this case interesting effects can be obtained by cutting from above high floats which are only over the high portions or only over the low portions or sometimes over the high portions and -sometimes over the low portions, since tufts of different heights will be produced.

The staggered high oats over two or more pile wires will be used in some cases, and in this instance it may sometimes be desirable to use normal pile loops at intervals to hold the pile wires in the fabric until withdrawn from the fabric.

Selective cutting of high multiple wire floats can be used by cutting at intervals along each row and not cutting at other intervals, or by cutting to varying depths, or by cutting only in certain rows, or by any combination of these selective cutting procedures.

Improvements in coverage in the wells where low floats appear may be obtained by cutting the low floats or by merely abrading or roughing up the low floats at positions which correspond to those intermediate between pile wires or intermediate between the anchorage of the low floats.

The cutter may be manipulated by hand if desired, but it is preferably operated by the mechanism of the loom. The cutter will desirably cut during motion in one direction transversely of the float, and will avoid cutting in reverse travel. The cutter should be elevated at positions of the spoons or the knives on the ends of the wires be* yond the shed.

The cutter will in some cases desirably be provided with a shoe which rides along the front of the back of the fabric at the base of the pile, and protects against having the knife penetrate too deep, and the shoe may in some cases be elongated to prevent the cutter from jumping from one oat row to the next, especially where wavy wires having extremely low portions in the profile are used.

The width of the cutter shoe will vary with the number 'of wires per inch, the tightness or looseness of the weave, the diameter of the pile yarn, and the space between the wires which support the high floats in the case where no projections beneath the high lioats are to be cut.

In some cases a rotary cutter will be employed.

In the above discussion, emphasis has been placed on weaving oats over transverse pile wires. It will also be evident that iioats can be woven over longitudinal pile wires and the principles of the invention may be applied to the cutting of the floats over longitudinal pile wires from above.

I illustrate in FIGURE 1 a pile fabric, suitably a carpet or rug, which has been woven and is still on the loom, showing the transverse pile wires in place. A typical Wilton loom of the type which may be employed is shown in Harding US. Patent 2,477,248. Binder warp sets '70 and 71 are woven preferably on a two-shot basis with a stutter warp set 72, pile warp frames or sets 73 and 74, upper or binding wefts 75 and lower or back wefts 76.

At the step in the cycle at which an upper or pile binding weft 75 is to be inserted, in FIGURE l, one of the binder warp sets is raised half-way and all other warp sets except those pile warp ends which are selected to oat are lowered, the ends which are selected to tioat are raised at least half-way, and the binding weft 75 is inserted.

At the next step in the cycle, the binder warp sets are 

